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Local catering establishments are invited to participate in the Catering Industry Safety Award Scheme jointly organised by the Labour Department, the Occupational Safety and Health Council and eight co-organisers. Entries will be accepted from today (July 7) to July 20.
Launched in 1999, the scheme aims to enhance the occupational safety and health awareness of employers, employees and stakeholders in the industry. It also aims to inculcate a good occupational safety and health culture in the industry and among the public, and to award catering establishments, supervisors and workers with good performance in work safety and health.
All catering establishments in Hong Kong are welcome to compete for the awards provided that they hold a valid full licence issued by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) before August 12, 2011, and throughout the competition period and that their licences had not been suspended by the FEHD for whatever reason in the 12 months preceding August 12, 2011, and until the announcement of the competition results. They also should not have recorded any serious or fatal industrial accidents or received any Suspension Notices issued by the Labour Department in the 12 months preceding the enrolment deadline. Management of catering establishments are encouraged to nominate their supervisors to participate in the competition.
Entries will be divided into seven sub-categories: Chinese restaurants, restaurants (non-Chinese), hotels with kitchen, fast food shops serving Western food, fast food shops serving both Chinese and general categories of food, cafes, and light refreshment eating places and canteens.
There will be a Group Safety Performance Award for groups with good overall safety and health performance and that have entered the competition with more than one outlet in the same sub-category of the Catering Establishment Awards.
To commend single-outlet catering establishments not operated by a group that have entered the competition, a Safety Awareness Award will be presented to such establishments that have undergone the preliminary assessment and that do not win any other awards in the competition.
Each sub-category of the Catering Establishment category and the Group Safety Performance Award will have gold, silver, bronze and meritorious prizes. Winners of the Safety Awareness Award, the Supervisor Award and the Safe Worker Award will also be awarded.
Preliminary assessment will take place in early August, and final assessment will take place in early September. Assessment criteria will cover various aspects concerning the safety conditions of catering establishments and their safety management systems.
The scheme will also feature a number of publicity functions, including a safety quiz competition, to enhance public awareness of occupational safety and health with the aim of reducing the number of industrial accidents in the catering industry. Members of the public over the age of 15 are welcome to join the safety quiz competition. Entries will be accepted from today to August 8.
The Labour Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council are the organisers while the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board is the co-organiser and sponsor of the event. Other co-organisers of the event are the Hong Kong Catering Industry Association, the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, the Hong Kong Hotels Association, the Association of Restaurant Managers, the Food and Beverage Management and Professional Staff Association, the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management and the Eating Establishment Employees General Union.
Enrolment forms and details of the entry requirements of the scheme and the safety quiz competition can be obtained from offices of the Occupational Safety and Health Branch of the Labour Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council on 19/F, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, Hong Kong, or downloaded from the department's website at www.labour.gov.hk. Enquiries can be made on 2852 3565.
Ends/Thursday, July 7, 2011
Issued at HKT 14:01
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